BEIJING - Canadian kayaker Adam van Koeverden broke his own world record in the opening heat of the K-1 500 metres at the Beijing Games on Tuesday.
Van Koeverden finished in one minute 35.554 seconds at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park. He set the previous best of 1:35.630 at a World Cup event in Poland last June, becoming the first to dip under the 1:36 barrier.
Van Koeverden said he's got plenty left in the tank for the rest of the week.
"I'm still sort of practising for the final so I'm not going to pull up or not remind myself of how hard it is," van Koeverden said. "I'm just saying I raced that like a heat, not like a final. If I raced that like a final I could have probably expected another half-second.
"Maybe that's saying a lot considering the time but that's how I felt."
The 26-year-old from Oakville, Ont., advanced to the semifinal on Thursday. The final is scheduled for Saturday.
Van Koeverden also won his heat in the K-1 1,000 metres on Monday.
Van Koeverden, the Canadian flag-bearer at the opening ceremonies, leads a strong canoe/kayak team that will race in all 12 Olympic flatwater events and could bring home several medals.
He's the defending Olympic champion in the 500 and also won bronze in the 1,000 at the Athens Games in 2004.
